#robert mueller

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Noah Berlatsky at Public Notice:

Though it’s largely already been forgotten, 2024 was not a completely peaceful election. Anonymous terrorists, probably working for Russia, sent bomb threats to numerous majority Black and Native American polling places in battleground states in an effort to disrupt voting and aid the Trump campaign.

The threats were widely reported on Election Day itself. However, in the aftermath of Trump’s narrow but definitive win, there has been little discussion of these egregious, deliberate attacks on democracy in general, and on the voting rights of Black and Native American people in particular. Analysts have instead focused on whether the Democrats and Kamala Harris should have run further to the left or further to the right or further in some other direction. The bomb threats did not change the election outcome, so it’s perhaps understandable that they have not been a focus of the collective, apparently endless post-election autopsy. But the lack of interest in an egregious assault on American democracy is a mistake. The attacks demonstrate how fragile our democracy is. And they provide a blueprint for the MAGA regime to tamper in elections in the future. The fact that incoming president Donald Trump can and probably would try to block investigations into Russia’s involvement — and into the Trump campaign’s potential involvement as well — is chilling. If we want to prevent attacks like this in the future, it’s important not to instantly memory hole the attack that just happened.

A coordinated attack on democracy, and on Democrats

The hoax bomb threats on Election Day were sent to polling locations in the swing states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona. The FBI said that many of the threats “appear[ed] to originate from Russian email domains.”

None of the threats were credible, and no bombs were found. However, the threats did cause disruptions in Georgia, where five polling places were evacuated. Hours were extended at those locations to ensure all voters could cast their ballots. Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia Secretary of State best known for refusing to aid Trump in his coup attempt in 2020, argued that Russia was attempting to undermine faith in the US system of government. The Russians are “up to mischief it seems,” he said. “They don’t want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election.” This is probably true, as far as it goes. But it seems important to note that the bomb threats weren’t just randomly distributed attempts to undermine the electoral process. Like threats of violence in the 2020 election, they were intended specifically to target and discourage Democratic voters in key swing states.

Polls heading into November 5 indicated the election would be extremely close, so whoever was behind the threats had good reason to believe that even minor disruptions in Democratic leaning areas could tip the balance and hand Trump a win in a tight race. In the event, Trump’s win was large enough, and the disruptions small enough, that they didn’t change the outcome. But the pattern of interference nonetheless makes it clear which side was being targeted. Fulton County, Georgia, a Democratic stronghold with a 43.7 percent plurality of Black voters, received 32 bomb threats by email and phone. Neighboring DeKalb county (53.7 percent Black) was also targeted for threats. Police had to sweep six polling locations. Similarly, bomb threats in Pennsylvania were directed at polling locations in Democratic majority city Philadelphia. In Wisconsin, Madison was targeted; in Michigan, Detroit. In Arizona, polling locations on the lands of the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe were both threatened. Native voters tend to favor Democrats (as they did this year, despite some misleading early exit polls).

Russia helps Trump because Trump helps Russia

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Putin would attempt to help Trump. Russian election interference globally has been designed to advance the far right and boost candidates friendly to Russia’s authoritarian leader Vladimir Putin. Putin has been doling out money to boost and buy the allegiance of far right candidates across Europe, focusing especially on getting Europe to abandon Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022. His interference in Romania’s recent election on behalf of far right candidate Călin Georgescu was so egregious that the Romanian Constitutional Court invalidated the election results.

And of course Putin interfered in the 2016 presidential election, waging a sweeping electoral interference campaign. Russian intelligence hacked the Democratic National Committee network, stealing and releasing private emails, which drove news cycles throughout the campaign and boosted Trump, who won the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote. (Trump continues to deny there was any election interference, because of course he does.) According to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which was launched after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey amid a probe of his campaign’s connections with the Kremlin, Russia attempted to hack the DNC shortly after Trump publicly urged Putin to expose and disseminate Hillary Clinton’s emails. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing, I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press,” Trump said, live on television. A Senate investigation found numerous links between Russia and the Trump campaign in 2016. And Putin tried again to help Trump (unsuccessfully) in 2020. In return, Trump has consistently and successfully undermined support for Ukraine within the GOP while legitimizing Putin as a global player.

Trump’s link to Russia were not fully investigated or prosecuted after 2016 because Trump, with the power of the presidency behind him, did everything he could to delegitimize and block the investigation in ways that may well have constituted obstruction of justice. He was aided in that by a Republican Party dead set against any suggestion that the 2016 election victory that allowed them to stack the Supreme Court and cut taxes for billionaires was in any way compromised. Bill Barr, Trump’s attorney general (who has subsequently become a Trump critic), downplayed and mischaracterized Mueller’s report about Russian interference, creating a narrative that helped the right to dismiss the findings. Supposedly moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins refused to even consider impeachment on the basis of Trump’s links to Russia. This is, to put it mildly, an ominous precedent for investigation of, and accountability for, Russian bomb threats during 2024. Raffensperger (again, a Trump critic) wouldn’t even acknowledge that the threats were intended to help Trump.

[...] Putin, Trump, and Republicans have learned that potentially violent election interference targeting Democratic voters is fine as long as you win. If they aren’t made to pay some sort of price, why wouldn’t they do it again?

Bomb threats at swing state polling places on Election Day were a Russian campaign to intimidate potential Kamala Harris supporters.

[dosesofcommonsense]

Tell me 9/11 was an inside job without telling me 9/11 was committed by parts of our government.

[jackass-democrats]

Russia hoax

[foreverlogical]

The Trolls Have Gotten Better

Nothing like someone calling Biden out for everything that Trump is 100% worse on policy about. Completely ignoring the consequences of the last Trump Presidency, especially Roe v Wade as if it didn't happen or blaming Dems for not fixing it even though they didn't have a majority because of Manchin and Sinema.

They are blaming Democrats for things that Republican majorities are responsible for. Then they pretend they want the same things as you but say they can't bring themselves to vote for Biden. Sound familiar? Never forget:

The most important line in the Mueller report appears in the introduction to Volume I:

“The Russian government interfered with the 2016 election in sweeping and systematic fashion.” 

Mueller has published a detailed accounting of Russia’s attack on our presidential election. His report describes how Russia conducted a social-media disinformation campaign and weaponized email messages to sabotage the election. Mueller’s description of the Russia attack makes it clear that information warfare is the new battleground.

How much better at it do you think they've gotten since 2016 and Putin's complete takeover of Russian media and elimination of all dissenters?

[jackassdemocrats]

Mueller report hoax

As always, never buy anything made in china. Don't ever trust a democrat and NEVER leave your child alone with one.

[memenewsdotcom]

Durham report released

[truth4ourfreedom]

This blog post is from 2020 but it still is relevant today.

-Yes, Trump knew Epstein. He admitted it himself.

-The photos of them together are from before 2003.

-In 2004 Trump not only barred Epstein from Mar-a-lago estate, he also placed a bid on property (and won) in Palm Beach that Epstein was looking to purchase.

-In 2005 Trump revealed Epstein secrets to PBSCO investigation.

-In 2006, two of Epstein’s victims confirmed they knew Trump had barred Epstein from his estate in mar-a-lago.

-In 2009 Bradley Edwards (Prosecutor on the Epstein case) made a public statement that Trump was the only individual who helped in the prosecutions against Epstein.

-Per victim testimonies on the newly released Epstein/Maxwell documents reveal that Trump was not seen on Epstein’s island or anywhere with Epstein.

-The newly released documents show that the FBI withheld victim evidence in 2009 and in 2014.

-Who was the President in 2009 and 2014?-Obama.

-Who was the FBI director in 2009?-Mueller

-Who was the FBI director in 2014?-Comey

-Who led the Russia Collusion Hoax against Trump?-Mueller and Comey.

-Who was Muellers key witness during the Russian Collusion?-George Nadler

-Who was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison for Pedophilia/Dozens of imagines and footage of children being sexually abused?-George Nadler

-Who was the Secretary of State under Obama?-Clinton

-Who did Epstein’s victims list on the pedo island?-Clinton

-Who funded the Russian Dossier?-Clinton

-Who fired Comey in 2017?-Trump

-Who praised Weinstein for being a great human being in 2013?-Obama

-Who was Obama’s VP?-Biden

-Who is running for President against Trump?-Biden

-Who received campaign donations from Epstein’s law firm?-Kamala

-Who is Biden’s VP?-Kamala

Research and educate yourself because if you vote for Biden, the victims of Epstein will never see justice for what they have endured.

#SaveOurChildren #Trump2020 #RiseUp.

[willpollock]

Your assumptions about 9/11 attacks are about to turn on a dime [BLOG SERIES]

"a new filing in a lawsuit brought by families of 9/11 victims against Saudi Arabia alleges that al-Qaeda had significant, indeed decisive, state support for its attacks" https://t.co/1OPAtmvxZg pic.twitter.com/uEaA6PSYbn — Will's Media Reform School #DoBetter ⚖️ 🌻 (@bywillpollock) May 26, 2024 This is Part 1 of a 3-part blog series, exclusively on CrankyYank.com Conventional wisdom is rarely…

[whats-in-a-sentence]

On 8chan, users can post questions to Q, as if approaching an oracle:

What is the big secret in Antarctica?

Will stock markets fail?

Is Boris Johnson trust-worthy? And May good or bad???

Is time travel possible?

Is Mueller working for us?

Is Michelle Obama a man?

One time, Q and I'll shut up. Is ZOG/MARX both going down?

"Going Dark: The Secret Social Lives of Extremists" - Julia Ebner

[seagull-astrology]

C196 Dithering John Durham

U.S. Attorney John Durham may wait until after the 2020 presidential election to make his conclusions public on the Ukraine-gate scandal because as his ascendant shows, Aries 30, he needs to get his ducks all set up in a row. This meticulousness borders on procrastination and indecision — aka who can he afford to hurt more — is further shown by Venus in Aquarius in the tenth house — a constant…

[lordrakim]

John Durham’s Report Used Sketchy Intelligence That Might Be Russian Disinformation

John Durham’s final report blasts the FBI for using the so-called Steele dossier, a compilation of unconfirmed claims about Donald Trump and Russia, without sufficiently considering the chance that Steele’s findings contained deliberate Russian falsehoods. But Durham himself relies substantially on a sketchy intelligence product that may be Russian disinformation to push a partisan political…

[olawaleshuencry]

This story is for those who think Bill Barr, just because he would not go along with Trump’s deranged and illegal 2020 election denial, has somehow become a good guy.

Barr is a bad, unscrupulous man who warped the U.S. Justice Dept. to serve Trump’s every whim, including mischaracterizing and burying the Mueller report

[disease]

“COOKIE MUELLER” (NYC) ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE // 1978 [gelatin silver print | 13 7/8 × 13 3/4”]

[ermuellert]

"thomas müller is the future of fc bayern" :)

[leonsliga]

I've really been missing Müllendowski lately. As cute as Harry and Thomas are, Thomas and Lewy are just on another level. When Thomas became Bayerns record player, Robert said that his relationship with Thomas is unique, and Thomas said that they have a very special bond. I just want them back 😪

Nothing wrong with that ❤️ Thomas always seems to get on well with his strikers, and while Harry’s no exception, what he and Lewy had was beyond special. Once in a lifetime, even. There was just this beautiful selflessness to it, ya know? Their relationship was never about one trying to outdo the other, as so many similar relationships in football tend to be. No…theirs was about trying to get the best out of one another, whether that came in the form of a Thomas assist and a Lewy goal or vice versa. Pretty much any form of self-sacrifice—perhaps foregoing a shot on target in a favor of a pinpoint pass—was almost always generously rewarded with a goal. That’s how good they were. And while Harry and Thomas are certainly building a similar bond (which I absolutely love!), Lewy and Thomas have longevity on their side; 8 years tearing up the Bundesliga together is no small feat!

Their partnership was implicit—telepathic, almost. There wasn’t a move one couldn’t anticipate the other making. They just got each other. And sure, I could wax poetic about the nature of their relationship, but I like to think they tell it better themselves 😁

And of course, as you pointed out, there’s perhaps no better insight into the depth of their bond than Robert’s literal love letter to Thomas when he became Bayern’s record player:

But it’s not just kind words with them, it’s the electricity in every touch—the passion in their joint goal celebrations and the comforting caresses in the haze of defeats:

Not to mention the bedroom eyes literally every time they looked at each other because they were so helpless and neither of them had anything even remotely resembling a poker face (especially not Lewy lmao):

[polycraftory]

August 2024 Reads

This Month's Favs

Gabe @words-writ-in-starlight (wordswritinstarlight on Storygraph) : The Husky & His White Cat Shizun (2ha) Volume 6 by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat. Runner up is the whole Murderbot series by Martha Wells (on a re-listen). They refuse to pick favorites.

Nic (businesswife) : The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco for fav novel and Re-Living My Life with A Boyfriend who Doesn't Remember Me by Gin Shirakawa was their favorite manga.

Meghan (edgybutfemme): The Husky & His White Cat Shizun was also probably my fav, with the final Guardian by Priest as a very close second. Literally any month I read a 2ha volume it'll be hard to pick a different fav book.

We had an absolutely wild August, but thankfully we managed to fit some reading in (especially devouring some of the manga we got at AnimeNYC)!

You can find the reviews for all of these on our individual Storygraph accounts. You can look us up by the names at the top of each of our graphics, or find the links on our website polycraftory.com (I'm not linking them because tumblr hates external links!)

We'll also be making video reviews for some of our favorites soon. You can find both a spoiler free pitch video and a full review with some spoilers on our TikTok & Youtube right now for The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller. We'll also be posting videos about Dark Restraint / The Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert in the next few days.